A short little chapter today, I had to break it off there sorry :(
I hope you like it hihi Ive been getting loads of inspo lately so hopefully the next chapter will be easy to write

i dont own bones

Chapter twenty five

The story I've heard before

Her body was shaking as she drove to his apartment. The letter was staring at her from the passenger seat. He knew. He had known for a while. What they had, it wasn't something that was one sided anymore. He knew. The nights by the lake. The sing alongs in the car. The stolen kisses. That's what she read in between the lines.

When she had gotten to the car she had reread the letter three times. Just to be sure that it was there. Just to be sure that it wasn't a dream. What of this was all a sick joke? But who would do that? None of the people around her would do something like that.

Brennan gripped the wheel tight as she drove. The nerves were making her body shake with her power to stop it. What would she even say when she knocked on the door? What would even happen? She shook her head and turned into the parking lot by his apartment.

His lights were on so she knew he would be home. They had been working late in the lab to try to get a hold of the case they were working on. They only had a few leads left to catch the killer, but Brennan knew that she wouldn't be able to think about anything other than the letter until she had talked to the writer.

She parked the car and grabbed the letter. The keys in her hand made unnecessary loud noises as she took them out of the ignition. "Calm down." She muttered to herself and got out of the car.

The walk up to the apartment felt like the longest walk in her life. She wasn't prepared for this, this was supposed to be on her terms. Not his. How did he always do this? Surprise her with everything.

Brennan forced herself to knock on the door as soon as she got to it because otherwise she would be standing there for ages. "Coming." She heard from the inside. It made her heart beat out of her chest.

The door finally opened and there he was. A towel over his shoulder and a chip hanging from his lips. In the middle of making dinner. They stood there looking at each other. Now she knew that he knew and he knew that she knew. What was there to say?

Booth cleared his throat and stepped back. "Come in." He whispered as he gestured for her to enter his apartment. She did as she was told and walked in.

His apartment felt different this time around. More like home. The scent of his cologne, the candles in the living room. It all felt right. She walked over to the kitchen island and sat down, to watch him cook. The letter was neatly placed in front of her on the table.

"I know- I know I should've-" Booth tried to form a sentence with his back to her. "But I just.."

"I know." Brennan told him reassuringly. Because she did know. She did know what he had been going through, but it was all so different.

"Do you wanna stay for dinner?" He asked softly. "I'm making enough for two." Booth turned around to see her. She was nervous, just like he was.

"Yeah- I would like that." Brennan smiled and touched the letter gently.

"You know.. Sherlock.. You should know that.." Booth continued to talk but Brennan zoned out at the nickname. Her heart stopped beating for a moment before it started beating so hard that she thought it would beat out of her chest. There it was. That feeling. The feeling that she had been searching for all of these years. She knew where she belonged again.

Brennan hadn't noticed that he had stopped talking and their eyes met. Her cheeks burned bright and she smiled softly. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" She chuckled innocently. The smirk on his lips told Brennan that he thought that it was cute that she didn't hear what he said. "I was just- you said- and you haven't- in a while.." Brennan tried to find her words but she couldn't.

She was 15 again. The way he was making her feel. It was as if they had never been apart. They hadn't, for three years. But it was different. For those three years they were Booth and Bones. Now they're Sherlock and Watson. It was all so different.

Booth chuckled and poured up the dinner for them. It was vegetarian lasagna. Brennan just noticed that. "Wait.. Did you know I would come here?"

"Of course I did. I've known you for years. Even if I didn't know who I knew." Booth shrugged and put the plate in front of her and sat down beside Brennan.

She smiled and grabbed her fork. "Did you.." she started talking without really knowing where to go with her sentence. Her words disappeared and she picked at her food.

"Did I what?" Booth asked and started eating to fill the silence.

"Did you ever look for me?" Brennan almost whispered as she began to eat.

Booth chuckled at the question. "Of course I did. But after my accident I didn't have much to go after, so.." Booth held up his hand and left the table.

She said the wrong thing. Of course she said the wrong thing. She shouldn't have asked, why did she ask?

Booth came back with a case file. "This was all I had." He put it in front of Brennan. It laid closed in front of her and Booth bit his tongue. "There wasn't much. A vague description. The way you acted." He shrugged and kept on eating.

She touched the case file gently. He had tried to find her. Brennan opened the file and there were just a few papers in there. Like he had said, a vague description. Brunette. Born 1977. Blue eyes. 5'7 maybe 5'9? That was all that he could describe her with. Spoke her mind. Loved books. An obsession with some kind of cartoon character, no memory of what.

A part of her own letter was scanned in and printed out as evidence.

Promise me to take care of yourself. Become the best version of yourself. Put yourself in a suit and go to that job that you are meant to go to. Don't blame yourself. If you're going to blame someone, blame me. I left. Without a goodbye. I did it for a reason. If I would have said goodbye, I wouldn't have left. I would have stayed in your arms.

It made her heart ache. To read the words she had written all those years ago. She let her thumb travel over the words.

"I got a job with a suit because of that letter. I wanted to make that person proud." Booth smiled softly.

"You did make her proud." Brennan smiled. "Even though she thought you were dead for a while."

"You- you what?" Booth asked suddenly. He put his hand on her forearm. "You thought I was dead?"

Brennan nodded. Not sure why the emotions were getting to her now. "There was a misunderstanding between me and Uhm, Toby."

"But he told you the truth after that, right?" Booth tried to sound calm but Brennan shook her head.

"I heard from Jared when he saved me."

"Saved you? Bon- Sher-" Booth shook his head in confusion from the nicknames. "You have to start from the beginning here."

She told him everything. From the moment they split up until the moment they found each other again. And so did he.

Even though they both knew the feelings they had for the other person, they weren't acting on it. Brennan was still scared, she knew that once they kissed. That once they committed to one another, that that was it. He was her everything.

"Sherlock, are you ready?" Booth walked into Brennan's office with a bright smile. "Tobster is hitting on the new intern, let's save him before it's too late."

" can handle himself. Toby is a kind man."

"And a player. Did you hear his stories this weekend?" Booth's eyes widened at the memory. He mouthed wow and took Brennan's jacket.

"Yes I did, he is a young man, he can get around if he wants to."

"And he does." Booth scoffed and let out a chuckle. They walked out to the platform and saw Toby flirting with the intern.

"Hey Toby. Watson and I are ready, are you coming or are you going to get in pants today?" Brennan asked across the lab.

Toby turned to Brennan in embarrassment. Angela and Cam glanced at each other and mouthed Watson? What was going on? "I'm coming." Toby muttered and walked off the platform. "You didn't have to yell it across the floor."

"Everyone already knows, Tob." Booth patted Toby's shoulder.

"Yeah well a little mystery would be nice." Toby muttered and they walked out of the lab.

The rest of the team stood there in confusion. "You heard what I heard right?" Angela asked Cam.

"Why did she call him Watson?" Cam questioned.

"I have no idea." Angela muttered and Folded her arms over her chest. "I have absolutely no idea."

The partners and Toby came back from lunch with smiles on their lips. They have been going to lunch together almost every day now. Toby knew both of their stories and saw instantly that something had changed.

"Sweetie, can I talk to you?" Angela called out as they walked by her office.

Brennan glanced at the men and then back at Angela. She nodded and gave her bag to Booth.

"We'll be in your office." Toby said and the men walked away. Brennan sat down on Angela's couch after she walked up to her friend. A silence filled the room and Angela just kept her eyes on her friend.

"What?" Brennan asked in a scoff.

"What the hell is up with you and Booth?" Angela spoke up and sat down beside her friend.

"What- we- we're good. What do you mean?" Brennan tried to sound believable. She still hasn't told her friend about that year. Bits and pieces yes, but not the entire story. And definitely not who it involved.

"Okay, let me rephrase it. What's up with you and Watson?" Angel raised her brows.

"Oh-" Brennan was caught. "That."

"Yeah, that." Angela chuckled. "Look, you don't have to tell me the entire story. Now." She winked. "But is he who I think he is?"

Brennan let out a sigh and nodded gently. She had told Angela that there was a boy in her teens that she would've done anything for. That she absolutely adored. And the reason she never contacted him again was because of an accident. No names. No details. Just a girl who was madly in love with a boy who didn't know who she was.

"And he finally remembers?" Angela asked in an uncertain whisper.

"Yeah, he uhm- a few weeks ago."

"So is it back to where you guys were before? How's the se-" Angela wiggled her brows but was cut off by Brennan.

"No, no, Ange. Nothing like that. We haven't- we just-" Brennan shrugged. "We haven't gotten back to that."

"What? Why? I thought that you would-"

"I'm scared, okay? I'm scared he won't love me the same, I'm not the same person I was back then."

"Bren, sweetie.. I've seen the look on his face. Even before I knew about this." Angela gestured between Brennan and the door. "Booth was head over heels for you."

"Your head is over your heels, Ange."

"Figure of speech, Sweetie." Angela gave her friend a soft smile.

Brennan sighed and didn't really know what to do. She never thought that she would get to this point. Well, she did, she wanted it, and in her head they threw themselves in each other's arms and they lived happily ever after, madly in love. She just didn't know how to get to that part yet.

As the weekend rolled around Brennan invited Toby and Booth over for dinner. They enjoyed spending time together, they often reminisced over old times. How they would goof around and just enjoy being young.

When Brennan had woken up that day, she didn't put on any fancy jewelry or any fancy clothes. She wanted to be comfortable. A big t-shirt and leggings would do. Both of the men in her life had seen her at her worst possible moments.

She opened the door for them and invited them in. Toby walked right in and opened the fridge, going through everything for snacks and drinks. Booth somehow froze in his own world. He walked into the apartment but he held his gaze on the necklace around Brennan's neck.

"TB, where's the wine opener?" Toby yelled from the kitchen.

"Third drawer." Brennan called back and turned away from Booth. She didn't notice the way his eyes had fallen on the jewelry. To be quite honest she didn't even notice that she had put it on. She had been putting it around her neck for over 14 years now, it had become a habit.

"Hey Bones?" Booth asked softly. He often alternated between the nicknames he had for her now.

"Hmm?" Brennan turned to him as she was walking to the kitchen. She stopped when she saw his eye avert down to the necklace and then up at her eyes. Her heart stopped. She had forgotten to hide it. "Oh- Uhm.." she put a hand over the medallion.

"You had it? All of these years?" Booth questioned quietly. He knew it was somewhere safe. It had to be. One day it was there and one day, it wasn't.

"Yeah, I.. I brought it with me when I left- I know I shouldn't have taken it but it made me feel safe." Brennan shrugged and tried to hide the fact that she was embarrassed by the situation.

Booth was taken aback by the situation. They had always been connected, even if he didn't know who she was for a while. He had his tattoos and she had the medallion. Brennan reached behind her neck and started taking off the jewelry.

"No.." Booth stopped her and walked up to her. "Keep it. You'll keep it safe, I know you will." He smiled and dared to grace his lips across her cheek every so softly. "It'll keep you safe when I'm not around." He whispered and backed away. Their eyes met and he grabbed her hands away from the silver.

"Okay.." Brennan couldn't trust her voice to speak.

"Can y'all stop with the gushy gushy and come drink wine with me?" Toby sighed from the kitchen.

"Beer, Toby. We're drinking beer." Booth still had his eyes locked with Brennan's and it made her smile with her entire face. They stepped closer to one another and Booth's thumb graced over Brennan's soft skin on her hand.

"Sorry to burst your tiny bubble Silly boy, but beer is disgusting." Toby walked out and tapped his foot. They both turned to him and cleared their throats as they stepped away from each other. "I need alcohol and food on my system, pronto."

"So needy.." Brennan scoffed jokingly and walked into the kitchen. Both men followed suit and they spent the rest of the night talking about anything they could think of.